The room was quiet, lit only by the pulsing blue glow of the system screen. I was still running off the adrenaline from the night before. I'd saved a life. Broken some ribs. And cracked open a door into something *bigger*.
But now?
It was spin time.
> **\[10x Copper Spins – Initiated…]**
The wheel spun lazily. I didn't expect much. Copper tier was the system's way of reminding me that my life was one bad draw away from absurdity.
> **Spin Results:**
>
> 1. *Saiyan Armor (Dragon Ball Z)*
> 2. *1L of Gasoline/Petrol*
> 3. *Frog costume (Child-size)*
> 4. *Tiny Familiar: Ghost Ant (Dies in 24 hours)*
> 5. *Single-use Toothbrush (enchanted to taste like chocolate)*
> 6. *Mood Rings (ruins your mood)*
> 7. *Waterproof socks*
> 8. **Starter Wand (Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy)**
> 9. **Crate of tactical smoke bombs ×12 (military surplus)**
> 10. **Magnetic Grapple Hook (Limited Range)**
The ant sparkled into existence and died before I could name it. R.I.P., Sparkle.
The toothbrush worked. Chocolate toothpaste. Neat.
The wand?.. I shouted *"Avada Kedavra"* at a mailbox. Nothing. Not even a spark.
But three items stood out.
**Saiyan Armor** — lightweight and tight but strangely comforting.
**Smoke Bombs** — twelve little panic buttons.
**Grapple Hook** — part Batman, part low-budget Spider-Man.
> **\[Absorb Essence – "The Cavalier" – 18%]**
The template was syncing fast. Batroc and the Cavalier must've overlapped in stats: peak human, no excess mass. It wasn't strength I was gaining—it was **finesse**. Footwork. Balance. The way I moved with a stick in my hand was changing. It was all clicking slowly into place. I felt like a beginner dancer who'd just figured out how to not step on their partner's toes.
---
Later that night, suited up in my newly black-spray-painted Saiyan armor, I perched across from Killian's building. He hadn't skipped town. Turns out he had property here.
I saw him through the wall using the **Goggles of Seeing**—shaking, clutching a pistol, windows shut tight.
Two men arrived around midnight, banging on the door. After five minutes, they called someone. Another five later, the building manager handed over the key… but the door wouldn't budge.
Killian had locked himself in.
They shouted, kicked, and finally opened fire on the lock.
Showtime.
I launched a shockwave with the **Shocker Gauntlets**, hitting their backs like a thunderclap. Both of them flew into the apartment, landing on either side of Killian like bowling pins with broken spines. I disarmed them fast.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Killian stammered.
"I planned to get captured! They wouldn't kill me—they'd ask questions, leave me alone. You're just making things worse!"
I stared at him. "You talk too much. I just saved your life."
"Now it looks like I'm working with you to take out their guys!" He grabbed my leg like a toddler in a thunderstorm. "No—take me with you!"
I shook him off. "Not tonight."
Then I pulled out the **Lasso of Persuasion**. Tied the thugs up and wrung out the basics: supply routes, pricing, contacts. Nothing game-breaking, but enough.
A warehouse at the port. That's where the next move would be.
---
Midnight.
I stood outside a steel monster of a warehouse. Portside, quiet, but with just enough "don't ask questions" energy to scream criminal.
My goggles gave me the layout. Entrances. Patrol cycles. One guard every two hours. Standard containers up front, but heat signatures showed something deeper in.
There was a **hidden entrance**, guarded by one man.
Time to infiltrate—badly.
I wore my blacked-out Saiyan armor under a neon-orange foreman jacket, cracked hard hat, and steel-toe boots. I looked like a cosplay dropout from a safety drill.
And no one cared.
Nobody gave me a second look as I leaned against a wall like I was waiting for a late forklift.
Eventually, the secret door creaked open.
**A ninja stepped out.**
No joke. Full suit. Silent steps. Cold eyes. Carrying a katana that looked like it had a body count.
Behind him, the door—a **giant electric vault**—was closing.
I tossed an **EMP grenade**.
The vault jammed open for a few seconds. Just enough time for me to slide through.
The ninja dodged my shockwave and slipped in after me like liquid shadow.
We were in a narrow iron hallway now. No windows. No escape.
He raised his katana. I lifted my Gauntlets.
Ranged vs. melee.
I had the edge—but barely.
We walked slowly. Me backward. Him forward. Step by step, equal spacing. Neither of us blinking.
Then the hallway opened into a massive chamber.
And there it was:
> **"METHLEHEM"**
The ninja didn't break eye contact.
"Hey," I tried, one hand up, the other still holding the Gauntlet steady. "You wouldn't kill a guy wearing goggles, would you? They're prescription. My vision's like a fogged-up fish tank without 'em."
Nothing. He just stared.
"Jeez, do you look at everyone with that stone-cold gaze, or is it just me? Cause if so—brutal dating life, my guy."
He tilted his head, maybe confused. Maybe calculating which of my limbs to remove first.
"Okay, okay. Icebreaker time."
I cleared my throat.
"What do ninjas say when someone's playing unfairly?"
He waited.
I delivered the line with all the bravado of a man trying not to die.
"He's Chi-Ten!"
…
Silence.
"…Alright, not that funny," I admitted, backing into a tower of vacuum-sealed coke.
"I'm just saying—every time you look at me like that, I shrivel up a little more. It's practically up inside me now. I'm turning into a coward burrito."
…
He stepped forward.
I fired a warning blast past his shoulder. Dust exploded. He flinched. Slightly.
My body shifted.
I lowered my stance. Planted my feet. Ready.
"Alright," I said, crackling energy in my hands. "Let's dance, Silent Blade.